Engine Coolant - Brown Slugde

[JerIcK]

I have read the thread below a few times and frankly puzzled.

http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread...engine+coolant

Honestly, just a few hrs ago I went to do a small checkup on the car such as looking at the oil, window washer fluid, tire pressure etc. I get to the Engine Coolant Reservoir and I find brown sludge on the dipstick. The thread I read and posted above spoke about this problem with dexcool and frankly im not certain on how i should go on this. my car seems to drive fine, however i bought this car 8 months ago and it was not like this. I plan to flush it out this saturday however im not sure if i should fill it with dexcool or a different type of brand and i would greatly appreciate it if i could get your help.

ill post a picture of it since no-one has so you have an idea of how it looks like tomorrow. (too dark now)

[cammed goat]

Keep us posted. We could use more info on the matter.

[pajeff02]

I flushed our cooling system last spring. As the thermostat and hoses were all original, it is likely that it had never been serviced before. Like you, I found some nastiness in the overflow bottle. However, the radiator and block passages all appeared like new upon closer inspection. I pulled the thermostat, all hoses, and both block drains and looked everything over with a small mirror and a flashlight.

Best bet is to go ahead and service your cooling system. Despite what you may hear, Dexcool is not a bad thing. Note that the factory service manual advises against using a chemical flush. Flush everything out good with clean water and keep flushing until it runs clear. Pull the block drains as there is a good bit of coolant retained in the block, even with the thermostat removed. Like Cammed said, let us know what you find.

[rbob93]

I drain & flush my system with water every spring.
The dipstick in my overflow has brown grungy shit on it too......been like that since car was new.
Waterpump went out in October so I changed t-stat & pump & had no brown crap in my system.

The problems occur when you have air in the system, or when you mix non-compatable coolant with Dex-cool......or if you never service the system.

[bryceslu]

Yep....had it on both of my 4th gens. 1 was dex and one was normal coolant.

[JerIcK]

flushed it out put dexcool in it, and yet i see brown sludge. ughhh

[sjsingle1]

seems the overflowtank does its job.....keeps the brown poo..er.......goo out

[bryceslu]

flushed it out put dexcool in it, and yet i see brown sludge. ughhh

As I said...both my 4th gens had it. and 1 was non-dexcool. And i have seen many people with this same thing...not sure why/what..but I dont think its dexcool only related

[konigandy6]

If it is sludging up, chances are you have a gasket problem... either the intake or a head gasket. This is causing oil to mix with the coolant and is causing this sludge build up. Pop your radiator cap (when the engine cools) and see if it is on the bottom of the cap. Get a coolant system pressure tester and hook it up. This will tell you if you have a gasket problem.